S03E151: Polaris Dawn's Private Spacewalk, Moon Mapping Challenge, and Milky Way Mysteries

Transcript

Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your go-to podcast for the latest and greatest in space and astronomy. I’m your host, Anna, and today we have some thrilling stories lined up for you. Sit tight as we dive into groundbreaking missions, celestial discoveries, and much more. In today’s episode, we'll explore SpaceX's pioneering Polaris Dawn mission, which just launched with the first-ever private spacewalk. We'll also delve into NASA's exciting $50,000 reward challenge for mapping the moon’s mysterious South Pole. But that's not all—we've got new research shedding light on the fascinating origins of the Milky Way's supermassive black hole. Plus, we’ll track NASA's Parker Solar Probe as it prepares for its critical final flyby of Venus. And finally, don’t miss the incredible story of how NASA’s Voyager 1, journeying through interstellar space, successfully overcame technical difficulties after 47 years.

Buckle up, stargazers. It's going to be an exciting ride through the cosmos.

Earlier this week, SpaceX made history with the launch of its Polaris Dawn mission, introducing an extraordinary era of private space exploration. Aboard the modified Crew Dragon capsule, four courageous private astronauts embarked on a groundbreaking journey, one that is slated to include the first-ever private spacewalk. Lifting off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the mission began at the crack of dawn, 5:23 a.m. EST to be precise. Just nine and a half short minutes later, the Crew Dragon capsule gracefully entered orbit, a small plush astronaut dog floating freely in zero gravity, signaling the onset of the grand adventure. Upon reaching space, the capsule offered the crew a stunning view of the Earth, bathed in sunlight. The separation from the support trunk provided a picturesque backdrop of our home planet as seen from a vantage point so few have ever experienced.

The man behind this ambitious mission is Jared Isaacman, a 41-year-old billionaire entrepreneur and pilot. Joining him are Scott Poteet, a 50-year-old retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel and SpaceX employees Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon, who both serve as senior engineers. This diverse crew is not just making history; they are also serving as test subjects for an array of scientific experiments. Their mission: to better understand the effects of cosmic radiation and the vacuum of space on the human body. One of the most exciting aspects of Polaris Dawn is the debut of brand-new SpaceX spacesuits. Unlike traditional thick and bulky designs, these suits are slimmed down and optimized for greater ease of movement. The true test of these suits will come on the mission’s third day, when Isaacman and Gillis plan to venture outside the Crew Dragon for a 20-minute spacewalk at a staggering altitude of 700 kilometers.

This mission is particularly challenging and risky. The Crew Dragon capsule has no airlock, meaning the entire cabin will have to be depressurized for the spacewalk. This is a nod to the methods used during early space missions in the 1960s. Unlike previous spacewalks that have been the domain of highly trained government astronauts, this daring endeavor sets a new precedent for private space exploration. Despite having to overcome a series of technical delays, including a helium leak and a recovery failure of unrelated missions, SpaceX managed to pull off a near-perfect launch after a brief weather delay. The science and data collected from Polaris Dawn will undoubtedly pave the way for future missions. This is just the first in a planned series under Isaacman’s Polaris program, which aims to culminate in a monumental flight aboard SpaceX’s Starship—the massive vehicle intended for moon and Mars expeditions.

As the voyage continues, know that the pioneering spirit of these private astronauts isn't just pushing boundaries in space. It's shedding light on human resilience, ingenuity, and the endless possibilities that lie beyond our Earthly confines.

Next up today. NASA is once again pushing the envelope of space exploration, this time offering a $50,000 reward for groundbreaking solutions to navigate the rugged terrain of the moon's South Pole and map the enigmatic Shackleton Crater. This ambitious challenge is part of the Artemis campaign, which aims to facilitate human landing on lunar surfaces and pave the way for future missions to Mars. The Artemis campaign represents NASA’s grand return to lunar missions after over half a century, with a special focus on the South Pole of the moon, particularly targeting Shackleton Crater. The reason behind this choice is both scientific and strategic: the permanently shadowed regions here may house water ice reserves, which could prove indispensable for sustaining future long-term missions, especially those venturing out to Mars. To make this audacious vision a reality, NASA has introduced two key challenges. The first challenge tasks participants with developing an innovative orienteering aid to help astronauts navigate the lunar surface safely and efficiently. Revisiting techniques used during the Apollo missions, NASA seeks fresh and unique technologies that are accurate, easy to use, and functional even when astronauts are wearing bulky pressurized gloves. If you're one of the brains behind a winning solution, you could be walking away with a part of the $15,000 prize purse allocated for this challenge alone.

But NASA isn’t stopping there. The second challenge focuses on creating a robust mapping system that can effectively operate in the extreme and harsh conditions of Shackleton Crater. Imagine an instrument that can brave the relentless cold—temperatures that hover around 90 Kelvin—and successfully map out the crater, characterizing and quantifying its contents. The winning designs will not only need to withstand these conditions but also relay invaluable data back to Earth, thereby supporting future exploratory missions. The stakes are high as this challenge has a $30,000 prize purse up for grabs. Altogether, the available prize pool for these two challenges is $50,000, with an additional $5,000 reserved for exceptional solutions. The rewards are not just financial; contributing to this groundbreaking effort can mean a place in the chronicles of space history. If you think you have what it takes, make sure to submit your entries by November 25, 2024. This is a golden opportunity to collaborate with NASA and play a pivotal role in the next giant leap in lunar exploration.

For more detailed information about how you can participate, you can visit the competition page on Freelancer.com. So, if you’re an innovator, engineer, or simply a space enthusiast with a killer idea, now's the time to shine. This isn’t just a challenge—it’s a call to be part of something monumental, to contribute to knowledge that could one day support humanity's journey to Mars and beyond. Whether it's through high-tech solutions or ingenious low-tech devices, the goal is the same: to arm astronauts with the tools they need to explore the moon's most mysterious regions, unlocking secrets that have lain hidden in the shadows for millennia. So, if you’re passionate about space and innovation, take up the gauntlet. Help NASA navigate the moon's South Pole, map Shackleton Crater, and get one step closer to Mars. The deadline is approaching fast, and the stars might just align in your favor.

Now on to one of our favourite subjects. One of the most intriguing mysteries in astrophysics centers around supermassive black holes, colossal beasts that can be millions of times more massive than our Sun. Nestled at the heart of most galaxies, including our very own Milky Way, these enigmatic entities have long puzzled scientists. However, new research from the Nevada Center for Astrophysics (NCfA) at UNLV might just have unearthed a crucial piece of this cosmic puzzle. The study, recently published in 'Nature Astronomy,' takes a closer look at Sagittarius A*—the supermassive black hole that lies at the core of the Milky Way. Using data from the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), which astonished the world with the first-ever image of Sgr A* in 2022, researchers Yihan Wang and Bing Zhang offer a compelling new theory. They propose that Sgr A* may have formed as a result of a massive cosmic merger.

To delve deeper into this possibility, the researchers analyzed the peculiar characteristics of Sgr A*. One key observation is the black hole's unusual rapid spin and its misalignment with the Milky Way’s angular momentum. These anomalies have long baffled scientists, but Wang and Zhang suggest they are best explained by a monumental merger event—specifically, a collision between Sgr A* and another supermassive black hole. This isn’t just a captivating notion; the research team used advanced simulations to model the aftermath of such a cataclysmic collision. Their findings indicate that a merger with a mass ratio of 4 to 1 and a highly inclined orbit could generate the spin properties observed in Sgr A*. Moreover, the team estimates that this colossal collision likely occurred around 9 billion years ago, possibly coinciding with the Milky Way’s merger with the Gaia-Enceladus galaxy.

"This discovery paves the way for our understanding of how supermassive black holes grow and evolve," explains Yihan Wang. On the other hand, Bing Zhang points out that this event not only adds credibility to the hierarchical black hole merger theory but also offers significant insights into the dynamic history of our galaxy. As Sgr A* sits more than 27,000 light-years away from Earth, obtaining concrete proof of these findings remains a challenge. Nevertheless, future missions like the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), set to launch in 2035, hold promise. LISA’s advanced gravitational wave detection capabilities could uncover similar merger events in other parts of the universe, further validating Wang and Zhang’s groundbreaking research. Understanding the origins of Sagittarius A is more than an answer to a long-held astrophysical question; it opens doors to a deeper understanding of the complex ballet of cosmic forces playing out across the universe. As technology advances and new observational tools become available, such as the EHT and LISA, our comprehension of these awe-inspiring celestial phenomena will only continue to grow.

NASA's Parker Solar Probe is gearing up for a significant milestone on November 6—the final planned Venus flyby. This maneuver is designed to harness Venus's gravitational pull to tighten the spacecraft’s orbit around the Sun, ultimately bringing it closer to our star than ever before. It’s fascinating to note the precise engineering and planning that goes into such a mission. On August 26, the spacecraft executed a brief but critical thruster burn, adjusting its velocity by less than a mile per hour. This seemingly minor correction is crucial—it ensures Parker Solar Probe is on the optimal path for a targeted approach point just 240 miles above Venus's surface. This flyby is the seventh and closest among the gravity assists Parker has performed, bringing it nearer to the planet than any of its previous encounters.

The proximity to Venus will allow the Parker Solar Probe to use the planet’s gravity to adjust its trajectory. This will enable the spacecraft to move significantly closer to the Sun, down to a distance of just 3.8 million miles—an achievement that promises to yield a trove of unprecedented data about our solar system’s furnace. Yanping Guo, the mission design and navigation manager at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, explains that precise positioning is everything when it comes to these maneuvers. The upcoming Venus flyby isn’t just essential; it’s critical. It represents the last major step required for Parker Solar Probe to reach its minimum solar distance. This November, it will come within a whisker of the Sun compared to its current position. The timing couldn’t be more exciting. After this close approach to Venus, Parker will embark on its first of at least three planned passes near the Sun at a record pace of 430,000 miles per hour, come December 24. That’s Christmas Eve, making this holiday season even more thrilling for space enthusiasts.

As Parker Solar Probe prepares for this potentially game-changing flyby, it’s not taking a break. The spacecraft is currently in its 21st orbit and is set to begin a science encounter that will peak with a close approach to the Sun, known as perihelion, on September 30. This period will help gather critical data, setting the stage for what’s to come in November. The mission’s trajectory adjustments and the science data it will collect bring us closer to understanding the Sun’s outer corona and the solar wind’s properties. This data is expected to provide invaluable insights into the mechanisms driving solar phenomena, which, in turn, have direct impacts on space weather—affecting everything from satellite communications to power systems here on Earth. For those wanting to follow the Parker Solar Probe's journey, updates are consistently posted on the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory’s Parker Solar Probe website. And as always, here at Astronomy Daily, we’ll keep you informed with the latest developments. The adventure is far from over, and as Parker narrows in on the Sun, who knows what remarkable discoveries await us.

Now, the space craft that just keeps on giving. NASA's Voyager 1 has been an incredible explorer for over 47 years, traveling far beyond our solar system into interstellar space. Recently, the mission team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory accomplished a significant feat: they successfully switched the spacecraft to a different set of thrusters due to issues with clogged fuel tubes. These thrusters are essential for keeping Voyager 1 pointed at Earth, allowing it to continue sending valuable scientific data. The problem emerged when the team noticed that the fuel tubes in Voyager 1’s thrusters were becoming clogged with silicon dioxide, a byproduct from the spacecraft’s aging fuel system. These clogs compromised the thrusters' efficiency, which in turn made it difficult for the spacecraft to maintain its orientation towards Earth. Maintaining this precise orientation is crucial for communication and data transmission.

Throughout its mission, the Voyager team has had to switch between different sets of thrusters multiple times due to similar issues. This time, the challenge was compounded by the spacecraft's extreme distance from Earth and its diminishing power supply. Scientists had to navigate the tricky task of warming up the alternative set of thrusters, which had grown cold after being dormant for years. This preparation was essential to ensure that turning them on wouldn’t cause damage. The solution was to temporarily redirect power from one of the spacecraft’s main heaters to heat the thruster assembly. This delicate balance of power management was crucial as the spacecraft operates on a very limited power supply generated by decaying plutonium. After carefully executing their plan, the team confirmed on August 27th that the backup thruster branch was functioning as intended, a remarkable achievement that will allow Voyager 1 to continue its groundbreaking mission.

Voyager 1 is now more than 14 billion miles from Earth, exploring a region known as interstellar space. This area lies outside the bubble of particles and magnetic fields emanating from our Sun, a place no other human-made object has yet ventured. The successful thruster swap ensures that Voyager 1 will keep sending back data about this distant and largely unknown part of the universe. The resilience and adaptability of the Voyager missions underscore humanity’s enduring quest for knowledge. Even after nearly five decades, Voyager 1 continues to push the boundaries of exploration, providing insights that could help us better understand the cosmos. The mission science team remains dedicated to keeping the spacecraft operational as long as possible, unlocking new secrets from the frontiers of space. Stay tuned to Astronomy Daily for more updates on Voyager 1 and other incredible missions exploring the final frontier.

That wraps up today’s episode of Astronomy Daily. I’ve been your host, Anna. Remember, you can always keep up with the latest space and astronomy news by visiting our website at astronomydaily dot i-o. There, you can sign up for our free daily newsletter to never miss an update, catch up on all the stories we cover with our constantly updating newsfeed, and listen to every single back episode at your leisure. Make sure to connect with us on social media as well. You can find us under @AstroDailyPod on Facebook, X, YouTube, and TikTok. We love hearing from our listeners, so don't hesitate to drop us a comment or share your thoughts on all things cosmic. Thank you for joining us today. Until next time, keep looking up!